My New Zealand food trail

I've mentioned before how I've enjoyed learning about local food and wine on my travels. New Zealand was no different. I was only there a short time but I still managed to tuck in! My highlight meal was a delicious plate of green-lipped mussels. They were huge, succulent and smothered in a creamy Thai sauce (oh so authentically Kiwi!)

I didn't just sample the local delicacies though. I actually got my hands dirty and did a cookery course. I didn't learn how to prepare Maori hangi, barbeque or even Kiwi 'fush n chups'. My cookery course was how to prepare sushi and tempura.

Sushi may seem an odd choice of cookery class to study in Auckland. There are a few reasons behind it though. New Zealand was the first place that I ever ate sushi - about 12 years ago in Nelson. It was the kick of the wasabi that burnt the memory into my brain. Also, there is a big Japanese community in Auckland with lots of chances to sample the cuisine. Sushi has become my staple healthy, fast food option in Australia and New Zealand too, so the cookery class seemed rather apt for me.

The Japanese chef showed us how to make nori rolls, uramaki and tamago omelette, how to prepare the sushi rice and then how to create crispy tempura. He made it all look so easy. Believe me, it's not! From washing the rice 20 times to rolling the tightly-packed sushi into a perfect round roll, it is fraught with disaster! I was so pleased to fudge my way through it and produce a pretty attractive, delicate plate of food.

The secret? Clingfilm! It keeps everything packed tightly together when you roll it up. Now I'm not sure that's the age-old traditional Japanese method, but it worked for me. I don't think the sushi vendor need worry about his business just yet though. It's not such a fast food option when you make it yourself.

Hello Hanoi

Wednesday 4th November
Thanks for all of your emails. It's so good to hear all your news from home. It seems weird that it's getting cold and dark over there. The hotel receptionist here was complaining how cold it is here today as I sauntered out in a vest top and sunglasses. It really isn't cold - it's nearly thirty degrees!

I've had a great few days in Hoi An. It is such a lovely, quaint town. I spent ages just pottering round the streets full of tailor shops and art. I got to the beach which was beautiful and did a Vietnamese cookery course which was fun too. Be prepared to sample my new repertoire of dishes next year!

I had a few days to enjoy the sunshine before a big old storm hit on Monday. By Tuesday the river had spilled over its banks and flooded a couple of streets. The ever resourceful locals just pitched up in boats to take the tourists to the places that were under water.

I'm in Hanoi now and it's much nicer than I expected. Everybody told me that it was crazy busy and unbearable. After Phnom Penh and Ho Chi Minh City it seems ok to me. I've learnt how to cross the sea of traffic. Basically, you can step out in front of a motorbike but not a car, definitely not a 4x4 and only step in front of a 4x4 with a government numberplate if you have a death wish! I've spent the day wandering around the city sightseeing. I went to the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum but his body is in Russia being cleaned at the moment unfortunately. I still managed to see the mausoleum, the museum, sing the Ho Chi Minh theme tune and avoid buying the t-shirt. They're HCM mad here!

Anyway, I've just booked myself up for the rest of my time here so I have a plan. I'm off on a boat trip Thurs-Saturday around various islands in Halong bay. According to the tourism blurb, there's one that looks like a human head, one like a teapot and one like a cock (fowl or phallic?). I end up staying on Planet of the Apes (ok, monkey island!) for a night so I'll try to avoid going monkey nuts. Then I head off into the hills around Sapa for a few days to go trekking.

I'll let you know how it goes...